How to Stop Boring Your Readers To Sleep
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I’ve seen your site. I clicked a link and came face to face with your home page. As soon as I landed there I searched frantically for something that I could at least pretend was interesting but I just couldn’t find it. My head smashed into my keyboard as my body convulsed into instantaneous sleep.
I believe in usability testing. What’s that mean? It means that you find a user who has never seen your site before and you sit back and watch their reaction to it. This is the purest way to see how other new users across the globe are reacting to your website when they find it.
With that in mind, I decided to get out my video camera and record one such session. The following video is of my cat viewing your blog.
As you probably guessed, my cat wasn’t very pleased with your site. But then again, I don’t actually have a cat so that’s not that big of a deal.
Now let me be completely honest with you. I suffer from this as well. I’m constantly looking for more ways to add humor to my posts and I’m really on a quest to develop myself as a story teller. Here’s several questions that I’m constantly asking myself and you should ask yourself as well.
How to tell if you suffer from sleepy reader syndrome
- Do you tell jokes? It’s alright to use sarcasm, puns or jokes to get your readers interested in what you have to say. Laughter is one of the fastest ways to get people to open up to you.
- Do you tell stories? I’m becoming more and more convinced that storytelling is an incredibly powerful tool for conveying truths to people. People pay attention to stories. They make reading that much easier to digest.
- Do you post updates regularly? One of the best ways to chase away your readers is to simply stop posting new articles or to post articles with no particular pattern. People like to know that they can find a new article on certain days of the week.
- Do you engage your readers? It’s important that you learn to write on the same level as your readers. You need to learn how to draw them into a conversation by asking them questions and by answering the questions that they bring up.
- Do you make your blog different from other blogs? If you develop your site to look and feel like every other site on the internet then you are giving your readers no incentive at all to peruse your content. Be yourself. Infuse your personality into the articles, the design, and every other aspect of your blog.
Group Reflection
Sometimes it’s hard work to create the kind of websites and blogs that bring visitors flocking to them but that doesn’t mean that we should give up or that it can’t be done. We need to step up to the challenge and do what it takes to create content that educates, entertains, and engages our users.
Which of the questions above busted your bubble? Which one really nailed you to wall?
What about number six? Oh that’s right. There were only five questions. Well then why don’t you go ahead and give us a number six? What else can you think of that might be holding us back from really connecting with our audiences?
Anthony Feint said:
Good ideas. I always try and include a little humour in my posts.
btw. Usability testing doesn’t need to involve a new user who has never seen your site.
Nicholas Cardot said:
Anthony Feint » It doesn’t have to but I’ve found that it’s often the most reliable.
Tom | Build That List said:
Must admit, this was one of the most exciting reads in a while
. I have always tried to make stories a priorities in my blog as I believe that stories make your posts much more exciting for your readers.
Nicholas Cardot said:
Tom | Build That List » They really add so much life to an article. I knew a man when I was growing up that could just tell the most amazing stories. He would go on and on with vivid details. It was exciting to listen to him.
Eric B. said:
About telling jokes, don’t make it too obvious that you’re trying to be funny. Often, (for me anyway) it only ever works when I don’t try at all.
That said, I probably don’t add enough humour into posts anyway. I occasionally write a not-so-serious post, but that’s about it.
Hmmm. Now I need to figure out a way to fit a personal story into web development
Jordan Cooper said:
Absolutely correct, Eric. People tend to fall flat on their face when they try too hard to be funny. Unless you really know what you’re doing, don’t look to tell jokes.
It’s all about *shared* experiences. Tell a story from your background, but convert it into a way that it relates directly to a similar experience most of your readers have had. This forms the context where you can add just a *tad* bit of humor and it will really resonate well.
Nicholas Cardot said:
Eric B. » About trying or not trying…I believe that everyone has they’re own kind of humor. Although it’s good to learn from others and follow the styles of humor that others use, we should also remain distinctly ourselves. We should tell the jokes that make us laugh.
Glen said:
I definitely need to engage my readers more with some thoughtful questions.
You do that very well BTW.
And I need to continue trying to find my own voice in my writing. It’s all over the place at the moment.
I do use sarcasm/satire and humor in my stories. And it is improving.
Actually Anthony Feints (comment a few above this one) latest post about continuing to improve your writing and taking a stand on a topic occasionally is a good supplement to this post..
Nicholas Cardot said:
Glen » I’ll have to look into his post. Thanks for pointing that out to me.
Don Gilbert said:
So, this is an awesome post. Very thought provoking. These are questions every blogger should really ask himself on a regular basis.
I think the 6th question should be, “Do you listen to other people’s criticism in order to improve your blog?”
That’s a big one for me.
Nicholas Cardot said:
Don Gilbert » That’s a good sixth question. I’m a huge fan of listening to hard advice about our work. It makes us stronger by allowing us to see things from another perspective.
Ileane @Blogging said:
I make use of short how-to videos to help keep readers interested. The key for me is diving right into the tutorial and keeping it under 3 minutes.
I like to write the way I speak so there’s always going to be a twist of humor, even when I’m not trying.
This is something I see you doing too with the graphics on this post. Good job.
Thanks.
Nicholas Cardot said:
Ileane @Blogging » That’s good. I try to keep the videos here as short as possible also. I find that helps people to enjoy them much more.
Kunjal Kamdar said:
Humor is required to connect with the readers out there.For me number 6 would be use Bullet points, instead of huge paragraphs. This will surely keep the post short and to the point. This works for me, hence though of adding it.
Nicholas Cardot said:
Kunjal Kamdar » Good addition. I’m a bold advocate of mixing things up. Long posts. Short posts. Bullets. Lists. Paragraphs. No two articles in a row should be the same. I love bullet points though. They are great in the mix.
Ron Leyba said:
Humor is essential but not that required I guess. If your readers love what your write or what you have posted; either with or without email, they will surely wont sleep reading it.
I guess its a matter of how well you deliver your post to them.
My Latest Blog Post: Sikat Ang Pinoy
Brandon Cox said:
I have noticed that video adds not only a dynamic nature to my posts, but people give more positive feedback too. Took a while to gain the self-confidence to do it, but it’s made a big difference.
Nicholas Cardot said:
Brandon Cox » I still struggle with that self-confidence issue but I’m learning and growing all the time.
Karl Foxley said:
Mixing it up really helps.
Having short posts, longer posts, tutorials, lists, etc all help.
But, having a voice, a writing style that is instantly recognisable really helps, maybe through the use of telling a story.
A good story doesn’t even have to be long either, as long as it grabs the attention of the reader and guides them through your post then you’ve cracked it.
Regards,
Karl
My Latest Blog Post: Are You Sending Conflicting Messages?
Nicholas Cardot said:
Karl Foxley » I completely agree. Mixing it up while still maintaining your own unique personality is the way to get it done.
Ron Leyba said:
I can’t agree more with your statements Karl. It doesn’t matter if your post is long or short as long as it dishes out the information you are trying to tell to your audience.
I personally believe too, that, having your own unique writing style will make you more recognizable.
My Latest Blog Post: Sikat Ang Pinoy
Kok Siong Chen said:
Haha! I love your style of writing! Yes! I agree with you that we need to give some efforts so that people will not feel bore when reading to our blog. Thanks for sharing!
My Latest Blog Post: Angelman Syndrome – Angel-like Genetic Disorder
Nicholas Cardot said:
Kok Siong Chen » You’re welcome. Get out there and do something to get your readers to smile and enjoy your material.
Lee Ka Hoong said:
Here is the number #6 as you wished, please pay $20 for number #6…
I’m kidding…lol…Don’t be serious..
Tips number #6 – Try not to use difficult or technical words or sentences in your articles, people who is good in English may understand your article, but you have to take care of readers which English is not their mother language.
When they read the first paragraph and they don’t understand at all, I’m sure they will sleep in seconds.
Nick I’m not saying about you, your writing is good and easy to understand.
Best Regards,
Lee
Nicholas Cardot said:
Lee Ka Hoong » That’s a good tip. We should always work to make our content as simple as possible for people to understand and engage with.
Ed said:
Thanks. I try my best not to bore my readers buts it hard
My Latest Blog Post: Annoy Your Customers Enough To Make Them Buy
Nicholas Cardot said:
Ed » It can be hard but as you grow as a writer you’ll learn valuable tools that can help you be more successful at it.
Davor Gasparevic @ Internet marketing ebooks said:
OH mine, I am completely guilty – busted and guilty as charged lol.
I can answer yes only on those regular updates, although I could post a little bit more – 20 posts per month isn’t difficult at all, but I am just a lazy procrastinator
I can partly answer yes on Do you engage your readers, because obviously last 2 months, with the increased traffic, higher SERPs and the “engaged” approach, I get a little bit more comments than before (I mean the original and genuine one)
As a sixth question I would add Do your write controversial, “scary” and/or edgy posts. I have one post that first started as a joke post, but then it became serious and questioning (0.01 dollar ebook), sort of like a quick twist post.
My Latest Blog Post: Free Press Release Review
Nicholas Cardot said:
Davor Gasparevic @ Internet marketing ebooks » Twenty per month should be plenty to build a strong blog. That’s also a good question. A controversial post once in a while can be a great way to grab some attention.
Davor Gasparevic @ Internet marketing ebooks said:
this months is was totally bad, I had to focus on my college duties a lot and I managed to write only 8 posts. I guess until the end of this month I will have 10-12.
Still it’s better than nothing. However, it will be far from those 20 I mentioned in my previous comment.
BTW, you already have 21 posts (correct me if I have counted badly) this month. And all of them are quite original and useful. I know some of them are guest posts, but still you seem to be rushing forward like a fury with this blog. I admire your energy and focus.
Thumbs up
My Latest Blog Post: Free Press Release Review
sernan said:
this post really catched my attention… would definitely keep in mind of those tips… i admit there are times when i write something i got bored as well, so i remove them…
as for number 6, “do you have a good visualization of your post?” i think i would be sleepy if the fonts are too small or the fonts have the same color or too close with the background, hehehehehe, or you dont have any images to describe your posts…
My Latest Blog Post: Lessons we learn in College
Nicholas Cardot said:
sernan » That was one of the things that I spent some time working on here at Site Sketch 101. I personally love the font here and I’ve recieved great feedback from it. I don’t use black or white for the font color or the background behind it. I use a san-serif font and I make it very large and easy to read. Great point.
Ron Leyba said:
Humorous post really counts a lot in terms of readership and gaining new audience. For me, including some fresh new rumors on a certain blog counts, a lot.
My Latest Blog Post: Sikat Ang Pinoy
Derek Jensen said:
I find it hard at times to be your true self because you are trying so hard to make sure the content you write makes an impact on your readers.
Instead, I think of how the content I write would impact me or any of my peers. I make sure the impact is then of course there. And I do not like bloggers that really try too hard in attracting reader engagement, because it seems like they never really get to their own point.
Ron Leyba said:
Just be yourself! I think that’s the summary of your point Sir. I love the idea out of it. Make sure that you are writing something because you love too or you wanted too, not just because its a must for you to be able to attract your readers attention.
Eduardo Munning said:
I wouldn’t think I’ve ever witnessed a new web site utilizing this type of lots of responses on it!
Someone Special said:
As I read this post, I felt this tingle of thought, so I listened:
Why would I want to pursuit my readers to re-visit my statements? I really do tell stories, but I intend not to compromise my truth by thinking about them. The reader I address is most certainly myself, I am not willing to please someone by fitting in to his great flatness of thought. Tell some jokes and be like TV; never mind, even the ads.
As I proceed, look at this: It is another way to profit from the “other” one, by flushing his conzeption with some strange argument the whole world is committed to: Tell something everyone is telling, You will hit the spot; problem is, nothing will happen. To even encourage someone to unlock his dormant potential, paired with the slight glaze at his profitable click, this one moment of judgement, it means greed.
Do You want to seem greedy? No? Then do Your thing and let others have their look at it. Don’t try to look over Your readers shoulder and try to guess what lubes his gears, be like the sand in a glass and force him to adopt Your runnings.
The writer runs the cursor, not the readers cursor the writer; it’s spine.